FDA PUTS THE SQUEEZE ON FALSE JUICE LABELING

Federal authorities seized more than 12,000 gallons of Citrus Hill orange juice Wednesday amid charges that the juice was falsely labeled as "fresh," the Food and Drug Administration said.

"Use of the word `fresh' on these (Citrus Hill) products is false and misleading, and it is confusing to consumers. Today's action will send a clear message that the FDA will not tolerate such violations of the law," FDA Commissioner David Kessler told a conference in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.A U.S. marshal seized about 2,000 cases of Citrus Hill juice - each containing six 1-gallon cartons or 12 half-gallon cartons - in a Minneapolis-area warehouse Wednesday evening after a federal judge authorized the action, said Jeff Nesbit, an FDA spokesman in Washington,

Nesbit emphasized that the action against Citrus Hill, marketed by Procter & Gamble Co. of Cincinnati, "does not involve threat to public health."

"The seizure action was initiated after Procter & Gamble failed to heed repeated warnings by the FDA that the use of the term `fresh' for processed products violated long-standing FDA policy on food labeling," Nesbit said.